Andre Reed Finally Makes It Into Pro Football Hall Of Fame

Andre Reed waited for the Hall of Fame.

And waited. And waited some more.

Finally, on his eighth try Reed heard his name called, and the greatest receiver in Buffalo Bills history will finally be enshrined in Canton.

Reed joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014, which also included linebacker Derrick Brooks, tackle Walter Jones, defensive end Michael Strahan, and defensive back Aeneas Williams. Punter Ray Guy and defensive end Claude Humphrey made it in from a pool of senior candidates, which included players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago.

It was a particularly long wait for Andre Reed, who fell victim to the strange politics that come with Hall of Fame voters in regard to receivers. Reed was forced to “wait his turn” to first be enshrined after Jerry Rice and Cris Carter got in, following the odd voting habit of sending receivers in one by one.

On Saturday, after the vote was announced, Reed thanked the others who helped him reach the Hall.

“The Hall of Fame is such a prestigious institution,” Reed told the Buffalo News. “Yes I’ve waited, but my dad always told me patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. I was also part of some great teams, with great players.”

Andre Reed is also the fifth Buffalo Bill from the team’s Super Bowl era to be enshrined, joining Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and coach Marv Levy.

“From Day One I looked at my teammates and my coaches as family,” he said. “From Day One that’s the way I approached it. Every time I went on the field, I felt that those guys were my family and I was going to do the best I can to help us win. Looking out into the audience and seeing Jim Kelly and Bruce and Thurman and Coach Marv Levy, man the emotions right now are overwhelming because I think of all those guys and how much they wanted this for me. I felt a part of them. Regardless of what we did on the field, we were always family and that’s the way we’ll always be.”

Reed caught 951 passes for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns in his career. He also came up big in a number of playoff games for the Bills, including the 1993 Wild Card game in which the Bills overcame a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime. In the game Reed caught eight passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns.

Andre Reed came a long way to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame, coming from tiny Kutztown (Pa.) University.